Pit Bull Survives Bullet to Head Protecting His Owner from Intruder

A 12-year-old pit bull named Kilo survived a gunshot to the head Saturday when he lunged at a thief who forced his way into owner Justin Becker's Staten Island, N.Y., home, during an attempted robbery.

Becker pushed the alleged thief, who posed as a FedEx delivery man, to the ground when he tried to enter the house, and that's when Kilo stepped in, according to the New York Post.

"My dog stuck his head out the door, and then [the thug] shot him in the head," Becker told the newspaper.

The thief ran off after firing his gun, and Becker and his girlfriend, Nicole Percoco, feared the worst for Kilo.

"Hold him in your arms. Let him die in your arms," Percoco told him – but Becker couldn't bare to watch the dog die.

Kilo was rushed to the South Shore Animal Hospital, where an X-ray showed that the bullet hit his head but never penetrated his skull – an unbelievable feat, indeed. Now at home, the dog is recovering with pain medication.

"This is like, one in a million," vet Dr. Greg Panarello told the Post. "He's very lucky."